Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Westfield seeks extension for Montgomery Mall redevelopment plans

Westfield and their development partners are seeking a three-month extension on the review of their preliminary and site plans for the redevelopment of part of their Montgomery Mall property. The plans to create an outdoor-oriented "town center" adjacent to the existing mall structure were due for final review by the Montgomery County Planning Board by April 18.

Attorney Pat Harris, representing Westfield and partners Unibail and Rodamco, filed an extension request, citing the need for more time to resolve design issues. They also want more time to address unsettled issues related to specific road sections nearby with planning staff and county officials.

Planning staff are recommending approval of Westfield's request. New renderings of the project have been posted at the former entrance to Sears at the mall.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are they going to tear down Macy's Home Center?

Anonymous said...

6:24 AM Dyer broke the story on the correct closing date of Sears. Several other sites reported it was going to close in February of 2018. Fake news, but they're interns- they'll learn

Anonymous said...

It's obvious someone is still sore about inaccurately reporting the closure of one of Bethesda's largest retailers a year ago. Dyer got it right.

Anonymous said...

Dyer is the man!! He does provide breaking news. I think he would get more respect/recognition if he stuck to journalism principles. Report the facts and nothing but the facts. Respect freedom of speech. Trolls and naysayers have a right to express their views. As a reporter, you should not be attacking them. You are there to report, not attack. To the extent you want to provide opinions/views on Montgomery County and not news stories, please mark them as such so the reader knows that they reflect opinions, not necessarily news. Similarly, if you want this blog to reflect all of your opinions, then please don’t refer to yourself as a reporter or a news network. See https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp.

Anonymous said...

8:00 AM Well stated! I think Robert does provide a valuable service to the community, but his introduction of his hyper-conservative views seem inappropriate for a news service. I really want to like the guy, but his constant deriding of commenters, snide remarks and often goofy opinions really drive me crazy. I wish he would keep this blog as a source of neutrally reported news, and if he really wants to state opinions, he should start a unique "What's wrong with MoCo" blog.


Give Tarnation Bob his own site where he can slam political advisaries and simply run this place as a great source of Bethesda News.

Anonymous said...

“Several other sites reported it was going to close in February of 2018.”

Liar.

Anonymous said...

...that August of 2016 was the coldest on record.

Anonymous said...

...that he had better name-recognition than all Democratic candidates except Marc Elrich.

Anonymous said...

When does this anonymous man want to highlight the fact that other media sources inaccurately reported that Sears was going to close a year ago? Without talking to a live, human being in the daylight even.

Robert Dyer said...

8:00/8:55: Your main concern appears to be that too much truth is being exposed here. Other local news outlets such as the Post are more editorial than factual reporting these days - but they praise the Montgomery County cartel, and you don't seem to have a problem with that.

Any "opinions" expressed are solidly backed by facts, as inconvenient as you may find those facts. I do admire your ability to wake up in the morning and be inspired by the 9 tools on our county council whose highest objective each day is to aid greedy developers and empty the pockets of menial workers and retired people with new taxes.

How you stay motivated by that lackluster crusade day after day is truly incredible.

Anonymous said...

https://www.nytimes.com/editorial-standards/ethical-journalism.html


Anna said...

4:07AM Some people are going to #reject you, simply because you shine too bright for them. And that's okay. Keep shining.

Anonymous said...

The new renderings reflect a far less ambitious project.

Anonymous said...

Opinions are fine but mark the article as such. Justifying your conduct by saying it is okay because others are doing it is not an excuse to ignore journalism ethical rules. And no journalist attacks readers.

Robert Dyer said...

3:54: The New York Times itself doesn't even follow those standards. While that means I shouldn't have to either, I'm delighted to report that my news sites follow stricter standards than the New York Times. The New York Times breaks every journalism rule in the book, from the smallest - clear bias by a reporter in articles - to the largest - not disclosing they are now partnered with the CIA as an official mouthpiece along with the Washington Post (quite ironic given the Post's history - but not surprising given that Post owner Jeff Bezos has publicly accepted a fortune from the CIA, and is openly a partner of the organization - look it up "CIA paid Amazon" - and you get dozens of msm reports on Google). That is an escalation of what is factually known (do some research on this) regarding the CIA's history of planting operatives as "journalists" in major media outlets:

Before you claim I'm a nut,tell me, is your hero Carl Bernstein a nut, too?
http://www.carlbernstein.com/magazine_cia_and_media.php

How about the New York Times?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/insider/are-spies-like-us-a-national-security-reporter-says-yes-and-no.html


9:47: I've never attacked a reader, only a troll, and my written responses are quite mild given that the troll has threatened me and my family, repeatedly doxed myself and family members online, openly stated that he is stalking me online and in public places, and has engaged in a campaign of harassment and defamation on multiple websites.

If you support someone like that, I question your mental health.

Meanwhile, my work is of the highest standards. Every statement is supported by factual evidence. You need to go on the record as endorsing the current "standards" of Washington Post reporting - ranging from open editorializing and one-sided fact checking, to open collusion with the Montgomery County political cartel in blocking coverage of opposing candidates and killing stories about Hans Riemer and other corrupt officials - - exactly the way the National Enquirer supposedly did for Trump.

Again, that's a hell of an endorsement for you to make.

The challenge is there: provide specific examples of statements in my articles that are only opinion, and are not supported by fact.

Anonymous said...

"The challenge is there: provide specific examples of statements in my articles that are only opinion, and are not supported by fact."

From the East County blog:

"Montgomery County cartel chainsaws will fire up on Piney Branch Road..."

"The Montgomery County Council is so soft-on-crime, they're bringing a smile to the face of criminals operating in the County. A smiling burglar was caught on camera with a wide grin as he burglarized The Daily Dish on Grubb Road in Silver Spring on March 4, just after midnight. After kicking in a glass panel at the front of the restaurant, the jovial burglar allegedly stole money and fled from the scene. But not before being caught on the surveillance camera. We haven't seen such a methodical theft of cash since the $7 million County government embezzlement scheme."

From the Rockville blog:

"Rockville paid $5.88 million for the property to seller M8 Property Group, LLC — $220,000 less than the appraised value. That's quite a contrast to Montgomery County, which often overpays landowners who contribute to elected officials' campaigns when acquiring property, and sells public land to developers at sweetheart low prices."

"Construction has begun on a new Class A office building at Pike & Rose, known as 909 Rose Avenue. Although the office market in moribund Montgomery County is weak..."

"We have another photo of the suspect pulling off his latest alleged heist. It's no wonder he's often shown on his phone while at the store. "I can't believe how easy it is to rob a bank in Montgomery County - thank God for our soft-on-crime County Council," he must be saying to disbelieving friends."

Anonymous said...

From the Bethesda blog:

"Bethesda Nutrition Corner has closed at 7026 Wisconsin Avenue. According to General Manager Carl Frady III, the shop never attracted the volume of sales required to sustain a business at this location. Like many businesses, Bethesda Nutrition Corner has found the business climate more welcoming on the other side of the Potomac in business-friendly Virginia."

"Riemer and his corrupt cronies on the Council and Planning Board have no intention of improving neglected neighborhoods and failing schools in the County. Instead, they intend to bring the successful ones down to the lowest common denominator, at the behest of their developer sugar daddies."

"Real estate developer Gov. Larry Hogan's eagerness to covertly lower the River Road speed limit to 35 MPH over one recent night."

"Developers who have realized Bus Rapid Transit gets them the same profits are leading the nationwide trends of BRT and light rail, best interests of commuters and the environment be damned."

"We actually already know that the demand for transit between Bethesda and Tysons is virtually nonexistent."

Anonymous said...

Your first paragraph (plus the two citations directly under it) is an example of "Tu Quoque". Colloquially called "Whataboutism", or "If all the other kids jumped off a cliff, would you do it too"?

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Tu_quoque

Robert Dyer said...

11:43/11;31: Explain how any of those statements are not factual.

Robert Dyer said...

12:13: LOL - "Whataboutism" was a recent invention to deflect when Trump does something Democrats have done or endorsed in the past, to prevent that record from being brought up and end the argument. Only slightly less efficient than immediately declaring your opponent a racist or Nazi.

Anonymous said...

Saith Dyer: "Explain how any of those statements are not factual."

Dyer = Alinsky

Saith Dyer: "Whataboutism" was a recent invention to deflect..."

And Dyer is using this tangent to deflect from the actual issue here, which is Tu Quoque.

Anonymous said...

Robert Dyer: "We have a cartel of multiple dictators who are behind the Council, and working in unison. They are in the development and non-profit fields, and in certain of [sic] the unions. They are in collusion with local media, most notably the Washington Post and Washingtonian magazine [LOL -ed.]. Together, they control MoCo elections."

Robert Dyer said...

3:09: These Bill Maher-type "new rules" are in fact a "tangent to deflect from the actual issue here," which is Communists' inability to win a debate with a patriotic American.

"Me too!"

"Bill Clinton is a rapist!"

"THAT's WHATABOUTISMmmmmmmmmm!

Robert Dyer said...

Ultimately, you are unable to debate and disprove any of my statements you quoted above. For example, I cited actual WMATA data to back up my factual statement that there's no demand for transit between Bethesda and Tysons. It turned out that when it wasn't free, there was very little interest.

Again, my assertions are always based in fact. Like I've said, run a BRT pilot, and I'll be the first to admit I was wrong if ridership is high and traffic congestion simultaneously decreases on the route. Go where the facts lead.

Anna said...

Whataboutism has been around since the 1970's. Gained popularity first in the 1990's. FACT.

Just because you have a statement of fact, does not make your subsequent opinion also fact.

Anna said...

Blogger Anna said...

"I'll be the first to admit I was wrong" - Robert Dyer proclamation on 3/15/19.
When has that ever happened? When? Link us to it. K? Because I do not believe you have ever admitted you were wrong. Never.


Beware the Ides of March

6:09 AM

Anna said...

Wait...you deleted my post asking to to show us ONE TIME, that's all, ONE TIME you admitted you were wrong.

remember, the truth doesn't cost anything, but lies can cost you everything